I usually don't mind the odd flaw as long as the movie mostly carries it off. This one almost did but the ending ruined most of the movie.
This is one of Kevin Costner's finer performances in my opinion although one of his first as a lead. He showed emotion which in later movies wasn't apparent. He played the jealous lover pretty well and Gene Hackman did a great job as usual in a part he normally plays, a senior Government Official (Defense Secretary) with a secret mistress. Will Patton seamlessly held the story together as the main protagonist and protector of the Defense Secretary's reputation. The homosexual overtones and affection for the DS were well played and so subtle as you could believe Gene Hackman's character wouldn't have picked up on it. Sean Young played her character a little OTT but this can be forgiven as I've noticed 80's movies tended to do this a lot and she was her usual brilliant self.
At times I felt the manic pace it built up was close to the action in 'Out of Time' (the one with Denzel Washington) but nicely constrained. The story was good, basically Defense Secretary (Hackman) accidentally kills his mistress (Young) and a cover up is conjured up by his secretary (Patton) using a cold war theme of a spy in the pentagon. Newly appointed Intelligence liaison (Costner) is put in charge of the investigation to find said spy who is blamed for the death. Costner started a relationship with Young which was unknown to Hackman. Read the review on IMDB to get to know more.
The problem was that there was no reason for the spy Yuri to kill Young. For this to be connected to the Pentagon a connection with the DS (or other high official) would need to be established and it wasn't. No one knew of the affair. And (SPOILER ALERT - you need to have seen the movie for the next pieces) at the end when Costner is exposed as a Russian Agent there was no reason given for why he was ordered to start the affair with Young. If it was for information from Hackman's character (as Defense Secretary) he never asked her anything which may have been a state secret. Up until his outing as a spy Costner acted like the jealous lover for no reason. He even tried to get her to break up with him which would be contrary to what a Russian spy would want. There was also a mention that Russia wasn't impressed by the Philippine's bag smuggled out with his underwear in it (when the young boy took off with his bag). What was supposed to be in it and was it for the Russians or for Young?
I guess I feel a little cheated that the story wasn't told well. Costner didn't do anything to suggest he was a plant by the Russians - so no WOW moment and even after finding out, there was no suggestion he was after any state secrets although the Submarine information may have been it, it wasn't obvious and it didn't come through the mistress but through normal channels and was played down.
Anyway, a middling movie with a questionable story line deserves a middling mark. Did I like it? Did I not? - a 5 from me.
This is one of Kevin Costner's finer performances in my opinion although one of his first as a lead. He showed emotion which in later movies wasn't apparent. He played the jealous lover pretty well and Gene Hackman did a great job as usual in a part he normally plays, a senior Government Official (Defense Secretary) with a secret mistress. Will Patton seamlessly held the story together as the main protagonist and protector of the Defense Secretary's reputation. The homosexual overtones and affection for the DS were well played and so subtle as you could believe Gene Hackman's character wouldn't have picked up on it. Sean Young played her character a little OTT but this can be forgiven as I've noticed 80's movies tended to do this a lot and she was her usual brilliant self.
At times I felt the manic pace it built up was close to the action in 'Out of Time' (the one with Denzel Washington) but nicely constrained. The story was good, basically Defense Secretary (Hackman) accidentally kills his mistress (Young) and a cover up is conjured up by his secretary (Patton) using a cold war theme of a spy in the pentagon. Newly appointed Intelligence liaison (Costner) is put in charge of the investigation to find said spy who is blamed for the death. Costner started a relationship with Young which was unknown to Hackman. Read the review on IMDB to get to know more.
The problem was that there was no reason for the spy Yuri to kill Young. For this to be connected to the Pentagon a connection with the DS (or other high official) would need to be established and it wasn't. No one knew of the affair. And (SPOILER ALERT - you need to have seen the movie for the next pieces) at the end when Costner is exposed as a Russian Agent there was no reason given for why he was ordered to start the affair with Young. If it was for information from Hackman's character (as Defense Secretary) he never asked her anything which may have been a state secret. Up until his outing as a spy Costner acted like the jealous lover for no reason. He even tried to get her to break up with him which would be contrary to what a Russian spy would want. There was also a mention that Russia wasn't impressed by the Philippine's bag smuggled out with his underwear in it (when the young boy took off with his bag). What was supposed to be in it and was it for the Russians or for Young?
I guess I feel a little cheated that the story wasn't told well. Costner didn't do anything to suggest he was a plant by the Russians - so no WOW moment and even after finding out, there was no suggestion he was after any state secrets although the Submarine information may have been it, it wasn't obvious and it didn't come through the mistress but through normal channels and was played down.
Anyway, a middling movie with a questionable story line deserves a middling mark. Did I like it? Did I not? - a 5 from me.